Strata Magic School (3)
I got the report via comms first thing in the morning, right after waking up.
…Is that for real?
[Yes, it is.]
Armonia was the one delivering the report, and it was all about what had gone down while I was asleep.
The night before, I'd sent Luna back to her room and turned in early without much fuss.
But while I was out cold, some unidentified figures had been lurking around.
Lena was the one who picked up on it.
The second she spotted them, she woke Armonia—who'd been in standby—and they scanned the dispositions of everyone circling my position.
Total of seven confirmed.
Five were definitely spying with clear intent. The other two? Just passersby—too vague to call.
[That said, someone could have slipped past Lena's senses, so stay cautious.]
Lena's great at detecting pure stealth, but if they used magic to hide? High chance she'd miss it.
One thing's for sure, though—someone's started tailing me.
The problem…
Man… too many suspects. That's the issue.
Louis, Count Pots, Karin Brandt Rupf, and a bunch of nobles I don't even know…
Way too many people with motive to spy on me. I needed a clue to narrow it down.
For now, let's scout the city before the delegation leaves.
The delegation was heading out early, but Armonia woke me in time for the report, so I had some leeway.
I left the inn and started poking around Bellus.
Scratch the two vague ones—they're just staff…
The real headache was the other five.
From the guys pacing outside my door to the one who'd crept up to my third-floor window for a peek…
[If they haven't left the city, we'll find them for sure.]
Bellus might be huge, but with disposition windows up, hiding's impossible.
Not that the spies knew that…
And sure enough, the greatness of disposition windows hit me again soon after.
Gotcha…
All the dispositions from last night were clustered in one spot.
Did I recognize their faces? Nope.
Body language? Nah.
Voices? My ears can't even catch whispers through a wall.
What I was looking at wasn't people.
It was a big stone building.
Damn… this just keeps getting more intriguing.
Loebe Merchant House – Bellus Branch
The sign had a name I could never forget.
The merchant house that handed me a certificate during my travels and showed some goodwill.
They were bustling from the morning—chaos visible even from outside.
This wasn't a place for actual goods; it was paperwork central. Contracts, certificates—docs shuttling between big and small merchant houses.
Confirmed. Time to head back.
I wasn't planning to barge in and grill them on their motives.
Just needed to know what they were up to.
Loebe… never saw that coming. Of all people, spying on me.
But as I turned to leave after a quick check…
[Suho. Check the disposition windows again.]
Huh? Why?
[Zooming in for you.]
Do I have to?
[Yes.]
The windows zoomed right in for easy viewing.
The morning report dispositions were no big deal, and the top floor ones were too faint to bother with—until now.
I started scanning each one.
Five from the report—definite spies. But the other two…
Whoa… this woman's got me hooked bad.
An unexpected disposition grabbed my eyes and wouldn't let go.
Karin Brandt Rupf
[Political Acumen], [Talent Obsession], [Psychological Insight], [Perfectionism], [Boldness]…
Rick Hof
[Business Acumen], [Quick Instincts], [Silver Tongue], [Bully the Weak, Fear the Strong]…
The day to cap off our journey had finally arrived.
Once the delegation reached its destination, we'd be in the long-awaited Levin Kingdom.
But none of that registered with me.
Half-lidded, I stared holes through Karin's disposition window at the back of the procession.
Damn… I wanna talk to her so bad it's killing me.
Karin Brandt Rupf… not only was she in the Loebe building, but right there with the head merchant.
Same building as my spies, but she didn't seem connected to them.
[No idea what you're thinking, but given her meticulous nature, she probably only deals with the merchant head.]
Learned some good stuff either way.
Like how Karin Brandt Rupf ties into Loebe Merchant House…
The deeper I dug, the more this unique woman piqued my curiosity.
Not that she knew she was doing it…
Oddest part? Loebe—who'd been quiet the whole trip—starts spying the second we hit Bellus.
No activity before crossing the border.
Nothing before Levin border, right?
[No detections so far. Levin Kingdom's probably their home base—they're ramping up now.]
Ugh, that woman… if I could just time a dream intrusion right, I'd have her secrets in no time.
Karin had talents across the board, but zero aptitude for magic.
Give me the setup for dream intrusion, and I'd roam her subconscious at leisure.
But right now? We hadn't even properly talked…
Small mercy: staying at the ducal house might give me openings to exploit.
I cleared my head of Karin-thoughts, taking in the scenery to cool off.
Whoa… building roads like this in this era? Impressive.
The Silk Road, straight shot from Pots County to Levin Kingdom.
Packed with wagons hauling goods—yet the packed earth let them cross in two days flat. Wide enough for processions to pass without issue.
Admiring it all, a golden city soaking up the sun soon came into view.
Levin Kingdom at last.
The welcome blew Pots County out of the water.
From the gates to the palace: two endless lines of people cheering us on.
Flower petals fluttered down like snow in the sunset glow, nonstop.
All sorts of words from the crowd, but they all pointed to one person.
"Welcome, Grand Mage!"
"Dean of Strata! Long live!"
"Thank you for visiting our kingdom!"
Sure, some were probably dragooned, but no one looked unhappy.
They all seemed genuinely welcoming and reverent toward the dean.
But the dean himself? Eyes on the crowd showed zero spark.
At first I thought it was the noise, but his troubled expression said otherwise—not annoyance.
Gazing out, I asked,
"Too rowdy for you?"
"Not at all."
The dean leaned back with a shallow sigh, eyes closing calmly.
"Just wondering if I deserve such a welcome."
"…"
They don't know how he conquered the world.
Just that he built this peaceful era…
Eyes shut, he seemed to feel the welcome through his body—the flowers, the masses.
The long procession wound on, the distant palace growing to fill our view.
Crowds thinned near the palace, replaced by armed guards.
Then the castle's shadow swallowed us; the carriage halted, door easing open.
Outside? A scene from another world—pure fantasy.
Figures in ornate garb, and at center, an elder gazing at the dean.
Crimson cloak embroidered gold, staff studded with gems propping him up.
Frail body, but dignified and stern. Crown tilting as he bowed his head and bellowed,
"Grand Mage, Ludwig Rippenstein… We sincerely welcome you to Levin!"
The welcome didn't drag on like I'd feared.
They considered skipping straight to a banquet for the weary dean—postponed for later.
The dean didn't brush off or ignore the king, either.
Proper respect for the nation's rep; thanked him for the welcome.
After greetings wrapped, we reached my temporary digs. I looked around.
"Nice and tidy."
"…You sure this is okay?"
Luna pouted, not even glancing my way—face turned aside like she disapproved of me enjoying it.
This mansion was a Brandtrup family annex.
And it breathed history.
This was…
"More than enough—got me excited, even."
"Sigh… even so, why pass up the royal guest rooms…"
Where Luna grew up.
After her Staatfeld family was wiped out, leaving her alone, the Brandtrups took her in.
She'd lived here, growing from childhood.
Special to me—but she rejected the sentiment.
Luna kept grumbling, but I wasn't budging.
"Told you a bunch already—I like it here."
"Haa… fine. I won't push anymore… but…"
She scowled, eyeing a man muttering outside the annex.
"Why'd you bring him here?"
Jeff. He was in the front yard, dumping our luggage on the ground, huffing and pissed.
He'd come along as the dean's travel aide—at my suggestion.
Normally, he'd bunk at the palace with the dean.
But…
(He's uncomfortable for me.)
…and just like that, the dean ditched him.
So he became my problem.
Perfect…
I'd half-expected the dean to cut him loose.
The guy avoids small talk with strangers—let alone someone who irks him hanging around.
I approached the griping Jeff, whispering low so Luna wouldn't hear.
"Listen up—you're crashing on the first floor till the trip's over. Got it?"
"Fuck… you lost your damn mind? Royals offer guest rooms, and you wanna slum it here?"
"…"
Trashing the annex didn't bug me much, but dissing Luna's old home? My gut started churning.
I said quietly,
"Or you wanna camp outside? I can hook you up with a spot."
"Son of a…"
Jeff finally waved the white flag, no more complaints.
I smirked inwardly watching him.
While we're here… time to milk this guy for solid intel on Karin.